Movable x-ray examining device

ABSTRACT

A movable X-ray examining device has an X-ray tube unit which is connected by a horizontally extendable arm swingable in horizontal direction with a stand located upon a carriage. The device is particularly characterized by supports movable sidewise out of the carriage and a locking device cooperating with the arm and the supports and permitting the pulling out of the arm only when the supports are fully moved out and permitting the return of the supports only when the arm is pulled in.

United States Patent [191 Glitz] et al. Apr. 2, 1974 MOVABLE X-RAY EXAMINING DEVICE 3,644,735 2/19 72 Vandervelden 256/523 [75] Inventors: Horst Giitzl; Manfred Rattner, both of Erlangen Germany Primary Examiner-William F. Lindquist [73] Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschatt, Attorney, Agent, or F irm-V.- Alexander Scher; Erlangen, Germany RJQQQZQiAQQQ FLMM, .-t ..t.l l

[22] Filed: Mar. 13, 1973 211 Appl. No.: 340,840 [571 ABSTRACT A movable X-ray examining device has an X-ray tube [30] Forms Apphcat'on Pmnty unit which is connected by a horizontally extendable Mar. 15, 1972 Germany 2212510 arm swingable in horizontal direction with a stand located upon a carriage. The device is particularly char- [52] US. Cl. 250/523, 250/454 acterized by supports movable sidewise out of the car- [51] Int. Cl Holj 5/48, H01j 39/12 fiage and a locking device cooperating with the arm [58] Fleld of Search 250/454, 522, 523, 524, and the sup orts and ermitting the pulling out of the 250/ arm only when the supports are fully moved out and permitting the return of the supports only when the [56] References Cited arm is ulled in.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,846,587 8/1958 Thurow 250/523 5 Chill, 7 Drawing Figures ATENIH] APR 21974 SHLEI 1 [IF 2 SHEET 2 [IF 2 MOVABLE X-RAY EXAMINING DEVICE This invention relates to a movable X-ray examining device having an X-ray tube unit which is connected by a horizontally extendable horizontally swingable arm with a stand fixed upon a carriage.

X-ray examining devices of this type are used, for example, for taking X-ray pictures at the bed of a patient. Known movable X-ray examining devices are separable into two groups. To the first group belong devices which have a large range, so that the X-ray tube unit can be moved to a comparatively large extent from the stand. To provide safe operation these devices must be heavy and have a deeply located center of gravity. If this is not the case, the surface of the stand must be comparatively large to avoid tipping during operation. The transportation of these X-ray examining devices is thus comparatively difficult. To the second group belong movable X-ray examining devices which are light and easy to handle, but the range of their pullable arm -is comparatively small, so that their use is limited.

An object of the present invention is to provide a movable X-ray examining device of the abovedescribed type, which can be easily transported and operated and yet will have a good stand firmness and a large range of the X-ray tube unit, so that the X-ray tube unit can be moved away from the stand to a comparatively large extent.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the accomplishment of the objectives of the present invention it was found desirable to provide supports movable sidewise out of the carriage and a locking device cooperating with the arm and the supports and permitting the pulling out of the arm only when the supports are fully moved out, and permitting the return of the supports only when the arm is pulled in.

The X-ray examining device of the present invention can occupy a comparatively small ground surface without affecting the stand firmness in case of a large range of the X-ray tube. Due to its small base area the X-ray examining device can be easily transported and operated. The locking device provides that the user cannot forget to move out the supports before pulling out the arm and that the supports cannot be moved in when the arm is pulled out.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing by way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an X-ray examining device of the present invention in its transporting condition.

FIG. 2 isa top view of the carriage of the X-ray examining device of FIG. 1, also in the transporting condition.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the X-ray examining device of FIGS. 1 and 2 in its examining condition.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the carriage of the X-ray examining device of FIGS. 1 to 3, also inthe examining condition.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the carriage of the X-ray examining device of FIGS. 1 to 4.

FIG. 6 is a detail view of a part of the actuating mechanism.

FIG. 7 shows diagrammatically the locking mechanism of the X-ray examining device of FIGS. 1 to 6.

The drawings show a movable X-ray examining device having a carriage I mounted on wheels and provided with a vertical stand 2 which is fixed thereon. A support 3 is mounted upon the stand 2 and is vertically movable thereon. One end of an extendable arm 4 is mounted in the support 3. The arm 4 consists of two parallelogram-like rods located one behind the other. The other end of the arm 4 carries an X-ray tube unit 5. The carriage 1 also carries a case 6 which contains electrical structural elements for operating the X-ray tube unit 5 as well as switching and operating members.

The X-ray tube unit 5 is rotatable about a rotary bearing 50 in a horizontal plane with the arm 4. The bearing 50 consists of a pin fixed to the support 3 and a corresponding bore provided in the bearing pedestal 35 of the arm 4.

Two supports 7 and 8 are provided upon the bottom side of the carriage I and are swingably mounted upon vertical axles 9 and 10, respectively. When the X-ray examining device is moved, the supports 7 and 8 assume the positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, namely, they lie in two recesses 11 and 12 provided in the carriage 1. Thus the X-ray examining device can be built as a light and narrow unit to provide easy transportation and maneuverability. When making an X-ray photograph the supports 7 and 8 are pulled outwardly by a foot pedal 13 out of the carriage l and are moved into the positions shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 where they support the carriage 1, thereby preventing the tipping of the X-ray examining device during the taking of a picture, namely, when the arm 4 is pulled out.

The arm 4 and the supports 7 and 8 are connected with locking means which prevent the arm 4 from being pulled out when the supports 7 and 8 are not in the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and which prevent the supports 7 and 8 from being moved out of the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and into the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 when the arm 4 is pulled out. This prevents the supports 7 and 8 from being in their pulled-in position when the arm 4 is pulled out. Thus the danger that the X-ray examining device may be tipped when the arm 4 is pulled out, is essentially eliminated.

FIG. 4 shows a semicircle 16 by broken lines. The semicircle 16 represents the path of the center of gravity of the X-ray examining device when the X-ray tube unit 5 is swung in a horizontal plane when the arm 4 is pulled out. FIG. 4 shows clearly that this path is within the tipping lines shown by dash-and-dot lines and that a great safety distance is located from these lines.

FIG. 5 which illustrates the carriage 1 from the bottom, shows two shoulders 20 and 21 of the supports 7 and 8, at the ends of which joints 22 and 23 connect the shoulders 20 and 21 with rods 24 and 25. The other ends of the rods 24 and 25 are connected with joints 26 and 27 which are mounted in a downwardly extending connection 28 of the foot pedal 13 (FIG. 6). The foot pedal 13 is swingable about an axle 29.

In order to move the supports 7 and 8 outwardly, the foot pedal 13 is moved downwardly, so that the down wardly extending connection 28 of the foot pedal 13 pushes the rods 24 and 25 in the direction of the arrow 30 (FIG. 6). This produces the swinging of the supports 7 and 8 outwardly to the extent of In order to move back the supports 7 and 8 the foot pedal 13 is moved upwardly and then the rods 24 and are moved back in a direction opposed to that of the arrow 30.

The locking device shown in FIG. 7 includes a pin 31 which is fixed in the base 32 of the X-ray tube 5. The pin 31 has a recess 33 into which extends an electromagnetically actuated lock 34 in the closed position of the arm 4. The pin 31 is received in a corresponding opening 36 provided in the base fixed to the carrier 36.

An actuating member 37 of a switch 38 is located in the base of the opening 36. The switch 38 is connected to an electromagnet 39 of a lock 40.

The lock 40 serves to lock the support 7 in its outer position. This outer position is shown in FIG. 7 by broken lines. FIG. 7 also shows that the shoulder 21 carries an angular extension 41.

The operation of the locking device shown in FIG. 7 is as follows:

In the illustrated location of the parts 32, 35 and 7,

the outward movement of the arm 4 is prevented,

namely, the lock 34 prevents the movement of the base 32 away from the base 35. When the supports 7 and 8 are swung outwardly by pressing downwardly the foot pedal 13, the extension 41 of the support 7 will close a switch 42. This will supply direct voltage to the electromagnet 43 so that it will pull the lock 34 out of the recess 33 in opposition to the force of a spring 44. Thus when the supports 7 and 8 are moved out it is possible tp pull out the arm 4, namely, to move the base 32 away from the base 35.

When the pin 31 has left the opening 36, the switch 38 will close and the electromagnet 39 will be subjected to direct voltage. This will move the lock 40 to the right in opposition to the motion of a spring 45, so that the right hand end of the lock will engage the extension 41. This prevents the moving back of the supports 7 and 8 when the arm 4 is pulled out. Only when the pin 31 again opens the switch 38, namely, when the arm 4 is pulled in again, the supports 7 and 8 can be moved back again by actuating the foot pedal 13. When the supports have been moved back, the switch 42 is open again, so that it will not be possible to pull out the arm4 again, since this will be prevented by the lock 34 which is pressed again by the spring 44 into the recess 33.

The described electromagnetically operated locking device is comparatively simple in its structure. However, within the scope of the present invention the locking device can be also made purely mechanical, namely, the locking means can be operated from the foot pedal 13 by a leverage or pulleys. The described electromagnetic locking means can be also replaced by purely electrical locking means, whereby an electromotor could be used for moving outwardly the supports 7 and 8, the direction of rotation of the motor being changed by the foot pedal 13. Furthermore, the electromagnetic lock for the supports 7 and 8 can be replaced by magnetic brakes. Also within the framework of the present invention each of the supports 7 and 8 can be provided with a separate locking device, so that the parts 39, 40 45, can be provided for each of the supports 7 and 8.

What is claimed is:

1. A movable X-ray examining device, comprising a carriage, a stand, an arm having inner and outer ends, means supporting the inner end of said arm upon said stand for vertical movement of the arm upon said stand and for a swinging movement of the arm in a horizontal plane, said arm being foldable and extensible outwardly from its folded position, an X-ray tube unit carried by the outer end of said arm, two supports located in opposite sides of said carriage and movable from inner positions to outwardly extending positions, and a lock ing device connected with said arm and said supports and permitting an outward extension of said arm only when said supports are in their outwardly extending positions, and permitting a movement of said supports back to their inner positions only when said arm is in its folded position.

2. An X-ray' examining device according to claim 1, wherein said carriage has recesses receiving said supports in their inner positions.

3. An X-ray examining device according to claim 1, wherein said carriage has means swingably supporting said supports.

4. An X-ray examining device according to claim 1, wherein said carriage has a foot pedal and means connected with said foot pedal for moving said supports.

5. An X-ray examining device according to claim 1, wherein said locking device comprises locks, electromagnetic means actuating said locks and switches connected with said locks. 

1. A movable X-ray examining device, comprising a carriage, a stand, an arm having inner and outer ends, means supporting the inner end of said arm upon said stand for vertical movement of the arm upon said stand and for a swinging movement of the arm in a horizontal plane, said arm being foldable and extensible outwardly from its folded position, an X-ray tube unit carried by the outer end of said arm, two supports located in opposite sides of said carriage and movable from inner positions to outwardly extending positions, and a locking device connected with said arm and said supports and permitting an outward extension of said arm only when said supports are in their outwardly extending positions, and permitting a movement of said supports back to their inner positions only when said arm is in its folded position.
 2. An X-ray examining device according to claim 1, wherein said carriage has recesses receiving said supports in their inner positions.
 3. An X-ray examining device according to claim 1, wherein said carriage has means swingably supporting said supports.
 4. An X-ray examining device according to claim 1, wherein said carriaGe has a foot pedal and means connected with said foot pedal for moving said supports.
 5. An X-ray examining device according to claim 1, wherein said locking device comprises locks, electromagnetic means actuating said locks and switches connected with said locks. 